Through Wonders and Labyrinth
by Ali Flagg
Summary: one year after Alice's adventure in Wonderland and Sarah's journey through the Labyrinth. What would happen if they landed in each other's worlds?
1. Remembering

Sarah sat in her desk, pointedly ignoring her teacher and doodling aimlessly in her notebook. Being the final period of the day, almost no one else in her class was listening either. Normally an attentive student, Sarah was slightly ashamed she couldn't make herself concentrate no matter how hard she tried. Her mind kept wandering one year back.

Being fifteen had been quite tumultuous for Sarah. The relationship with her stepmother had been terrible, the bond between her and her father had cracked and to make everything much more difficult, her baby stepbrother Toby, had been kidnapped by the Goblin King.

_Goblin King…_ Sarah wrote in curvy, looping letters over the page. It still sounded so unrealistic even to her. But it had been real. She had wished Toby away one night while frustrated with her life. The constant nagging from her stepmom and her father distancing himself from her in favour of his new wife had been too much. Angry at her parents and at Toby for being irritating, she wished him away while he cried in his crib. How could she have known the Goblin King would really appear to snatch the baby away? Things like that only ever happened in fairytales.

She leaned back in her chair, staring blankly out the classroom window. _'I wish I could go back,'_ she thought dreamily. _'Things were good there, despite the dangers.'_ A bell rung, signalling the end of class. Sarah's daydream was interrupted. The girl shook her head, coming back to the monotony of life. _'What am I saying?' _she scolded herself silently; _'it was insane there.'_

She packed her notebook into her backpack before slinging it over her shoulder. She weaved through the packed hallways, elbowing past people. Her school had an immense student body, almost to the point of over-population. Sarah hated it. There seemed no room for imagination. Even the drama department was boring, only putting on commonly used plays like _'Romeo and Juliet.'_ Sarah had been hopeful starting high school. She wanted to meet more people like her who loved reading, drawing and acting. She had been severely disappointed to discover the main interest at her school was sports and gossip. Sarah couldn't understand why in a school so huge there wasn't more diversity in personalities.

Fresh autumn air hit her crisply as she strode out the front doors. She hurried behind the school building and started home through the shortcut in the park. She kicked piles of crunchy leaves, making them swirl around her ankles. She relished the soft green grass. Soon a contracting company was going to tear up most of the park to pave an additional parking lot for the students.

Sarah stopped under her favourite tree, a towering oak. She touched its trunk tenderly. When the news came in about the parking lot, she had been horrified, thinking they were going to chop down her tree. Fortunately, the plans for the lot stopped twenty meters from the oak.

The leaves above Sarah's head rustled. She looked up to see a barn owl shoot out from the branches. A thrill ran up her spine. She recognized that owl. She began pelting after it. The owl streaked across the sky, gaining more and more speed. Sarah darted between two parked cars and onto a road. She dodged an oncoming truck which honked at her angrily. Sarah ignored it, keeping her eyes on the steadily shrinking bird. It was getting farther and farther away.

A stitch suddenly flared up in the girl's side. She gasped deeply and clamped her hand to her ribcage, where the sharp pain throbbed. Sarah slowed her pace while trying to even her breathing. "I ran too hard," she panted, "and I lost sight of that stupid owl."

Anger as sharp as the pain in her side spiked in Sarah's mind. She knew that owl. It was the Goblin King in disguise. He had been checking up on her. "Damn him," she spat. As much as she missed parts of the Underground (which she was embarrassed to admit) the thought of coming face to face with the King was terrifying. Sarah had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that he wouldn't play nice when they met again.

"If only I saw were he went," she moaned. "I could've shot that damn owl or something." Her dad owned a revolver. He kept it hidden in his closet. Sarah pushed her hair out of her eyes, sighing. Of course planning to shoot the owl was ridiculous. It would just fly away before she could even get the gun. A shiver went down her spine again. The Goblin King had been watching her…

Glancing at her watch, Sarah let out a soft moan. "I'm gonna be late!" She took off across the street again at a fast pace, stitch in her side making her wince. She ducked down a catwalk, jogging lightly. Only a few more blocks until her house. She slowed her pace to a quick walk. Sarah checked her watch again. Her stepmom would be home any minute. Worried, Sarah began to jog again. Things had gotten marginally better at home, as long as she kept her mouth shut and did all her chores, Irene, her father's new wife, wouldn't bother her.

A gasp of dismay exited her mouth. Irene's car was pulled up in the drive way. Sarah sulked up the porch steps and opened the front door. Irene wasn't standing in the front hall, tapping her foot and fuming. Sarah eased in quietly, placing her backpack silently on the floor. She tiptoed steadily towards the stairs that lead up to her bedroom. Maybe if Irene thought she'd been home the whole time, she wouldn't get mad.

"Sarah? Is that you?" called Irene's voice from the kitchen. Sarah sighed and walked over to the kitchen. "I'm home."

Irene was standing over the counter, vegetable peeler in hand. A large salad bowl stood brimming with leafy lettuce. Sarah could smell a pot roast broiling in the slow cooker. "Come give me a hand with making supper. Wash your hands first."

Sarah advanced towards the sink cautiously, reaching for the soap dispenser. She scrubbed her hands up more than was necessary. You never knew with Irene. Towelling her hands off Sarah asked, "What do you need me to do?"

Irene went to wash her hands quickly. "We're having people over for supper tonight, and I need to get Toby from the daycare place. Can you make dessert? I also have to pick up some stuff at the grocery store."

"Who's coming over?" Sarah asked lightly, flicking through the cook book to the dessert section. She stopped at the lemon meringue pie, which didn't look too bad. She read over the instructions absent-mindedly as Irene prattled about so-and-so and her lovely family. Sarah began to wonder if they had all the ingredients for the meringue pie.

"Sarah? Did you hear me?" Irene was standing in the kitchen entrance, spring jacket folded over her arm.

"Oh, sorry," Sarah said, suppressing mild irritation when Irene rolled her eyes. Her stepmom smoothed out a fold on her jacket before addressing Sarah again.

"I said that it would be appreciated if you took Toby to the park after supper while your dad and I chat with our company."

Sarah shrugged. "If I finish my homework by then, ok."

Irene gave her a thin smile. Sarah choked back a laugh. She couldn't believe how hard Irene was trying to get along. They almost never got along. When they did, it was because one of them was acting friendly for the rest of the family's sake. Irene gave an awkward wave and told Sarah she'd be back in about an hour. Sarah nodded and turned back to the recipe book.

As soon as the front door clicked shut, Sarah slammed the recipe book closed and began digging for the instant chocolate pudding. She could just tell Irene the pie hadn't turned out. A failed lemon meringue was a good enough excuse for chocolate pudding. Sarah opened the corner cupboard, reaching for a mixing bowl when something caught her eye. A barn owl perched on the deck railing. Crying out in surprise, Sarah dropped the plastic bowl. The owl cocked its head and stared balefully at her. She began to tremble. Their eyes met and the owl hooted, muted by the glass. Startled back into motion by the sound, Sarah dashed upstairs to her bedroom and slammed the door shut. The Goblin King was in her backyard.

"Go away!" she screamed, certain he could hear her. "I didn't wish you here! You have no power over me! IT'S NOT FAIR!"

"You say that so often," a low voice murmured. "I wonder what your basis for comparison is."

Sarah whipped around, eyes wide. "You!"

Before her stood the Goblin King, splendid in a velvety dove grey doublet, form-fitting black trousers and boots. His ash-blond hair fell down his back, longer than she remembered. His eyes glittered at her arrogantly, one a deep brown and the other a shocking blue. He cocked his head to the side owlishly, smiling. "Hello, Sarah."

"Get out." She growled, teeth clenched. Her eyes darted around the room, looking for a suitable weapon. The Goblin King stepped forward, offering her his hand. "Come now, Sarah. Is that anyway to treat an old friend?"

Sarah almost smacked his hand away. "You are not my friend. You never were." She sneered at him, faking confidence. "And you're too late. Toby isn't here."

The King threw his head back and laughed. Sarah stepped back from him warily, bumping against her desk. He leered at her, chuckling to himself. "I'm here to talk to you, Sarah. Still planning to shoot me?"

She froze, hand gripping her desk's chair until her fingers went numb. "How did you…?"

The Goblin King shrugged, grinning sardonically. Suddenly, he began looking around her room. Movie posters and drawings plastered her walls. "Where are all your toys, Sarah?" He asked softly. "Things really have changed."

"Stop it," Sarah hissed, "get out of my room. Get out of my life!"

The King laughed softly. He leaned forward slightly, studying her face intently. "Weren't you just thinking about how you missed my labyrinth, Sarah? Don't you want to come back to the Underground?" He pulled out a crumpled piece of note paper for her to see. The words 'Goblin King' were scrawled across the page in curvy, looped writing. Her writing. "If I didn't know better," he breathed, "I'd say I've been on your mind."

He flicked a strand of blond hair behind his shoulder. "That's not important right now." He crossed the room and placed his palm flat on Sarah's mirror. "I just wanted to give you my offer once more." The glass beneath his palm began to swirl milky white like cataracts. Sarah watched in horrified fascination as the swirl began to quicken, like a maelstrom forming on stormy ocean waters.

The Goblin King smirked at her. "You see Sarah? I still have power over you." His hand began to sink into the glass. Sarah's breath caught in her throat as he faded away into her mirror. The hand that hadn't disappeared into the glass reached out to her once more. "Please, Sarah," he whispered, "this is your last chance."

Sarah sucked in a breath and closed her eyes.


	2. Decisions

"That stupid girl!" The Goblin King roared, crushing a crystal orb he held in his gloved hand. The pieces dissipated into the air, twinkling out of sight. The King gnashed his teeth, summoning a new magic orb. It floated before him. Images shimmered inside. None of them were defined, like looking into a murky pool.

"Orb. Locate target: Sarah Williams," The Goblin King snapped. The images in the orb began moving, but stayed blurred. He peered at the orb, brow creased in concentration. Every now and then something was thrown into sharp relief: a tree, part of the Labyrinth, a goblin. He couldn't see Sarah anywhere. The Goblin King threw the orb against a wall, where it shattered and disappeared. He turned away in disgust. That had been the third crystal he had tried. Sarah was nowhere to be found.

Cursing vehemently, he paced his office. He had told her not to let go. Now she was lost, and not lost in his kingdom. She could be anywhere throughout Alternia, the world adjacent to Earth. Spitting out another curse, he pulled open a desk drawer. He carefully took out a large map, which seemed far too big to have fit inside the drawer. The King swept an arm across the desk surface, clearing it. The plaque with his name, _Jareth,_ carved neatly into it clattered loudly to the floor.

Before focusing on the map, Jareth closed his eyes, replaying what had happened in his head.

_Sarah closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Jareth panicked. He was sinking away into the mirror, his last chance with her sinking with him. In that moment, the control he had over his magic slipped. Violent winds which reflected his mood rushed through the window. Magic coursed through the wind, pushing Sarah. Caught off guard, she stumbled forward. The Goblin King's fingers closed around hers. They fell backwards together, into the churning mirror._

_Her slim body was crushed against his. "Don't let go!" He shouted, his musical voice rising above the sound of the wind. "You'll be lost!" But his words were whipped away._

_Seeming to come to her senses at last, Sarah saw her predicament. Protesting loudly, she twisted away from his grasp. Jareth snatched for her hand, the panic bursting in his chest. She could be lost anywhere at this stage in the transportation. Ripping her hand out of his grip, Sarah shouted something unintelligible before the winds swept her away._

A bit more clear minded and less angry, Jareth peered at the map. Muttering to himself, he traced the path of his trajectory from Earth across the landscape of Alternia. Looking at the boarders of the Underground, Jareth saw only two possibilities. His blood ran cold with realization. The boarders of his land touched the ocean and Wonderland. Either she had drowned, or she was irretrievable.

"Damn it!" He howled, slamming his fists on the desk. The wood groaned but didn't give. Grinding his teeth to keep in the emotions that were threatening to spill like the tears in his eyes, Jareth cursed everything he could think of. She couldn't be dead… There was no way.

Clumsily, the Goblin King tore open the desk drawers, searching for parchment and ink. The flowing script he usually wrote was shaky. The words wobbled like a toddler on a bicycle.

_Sarah's landed in your province. I need her back. Allow me to retrieve her._

Folding the parchment up, Jareth summoned a winged goblin. "Here," he snarled. "Deliver this to the Red Queen."

"I don't have a pass into her realm," the goblin whined.

Jareth snatched up the goblin in his gloved hands. "THIS IS YOUR PASS!" He roared, "DELIVER THIS LETTER TO THE RED QUEEN."

The goblin fell to the floor, bleating like a sheep. He scrambled away, the letter clutched in his gnarled hand. Jareth watch it scuttle away like a disgusting crab. Taking a deep breath, the King brushed his hair back from his eyes and composed himself. He had left a mark of protection on the goblin. Hopefully it would be enough to get the letter safely to the Red Queen.

Thousands of miles away, unbeknownst to Jareth, Sarah was slowly opening her eyes.


	3. Surprised

Growling under her breath, Sarah opened her eyes. Hand flying to press against her aching forehead, she furtively took in her surroundings. A softly lit bedroom, sparsely furnished. The curtains weren't drawn and Sarah could see a shy moon. It danced behind night clouds and cast a purple glow. Blankets rustled around her. Sarah struggled her way out of them and shifted her legs over the side of the bed. She couldn't remember being laid on a bed, or even what happened after the fall.

The fall.

Sarah frowned to herself. The Goblin King had pulled her through the mirror. He had forced her into another one of his stupid games. "Well?" She said out loud. "What's the challenge this time?"

"No challenge," a voice replied smoothly.

Sarah jumped, whipping her head towards the voice. A man stood in the doorway of the room. He was leaning against the doorframe. A sleek top hat stood on his head which covered the scarlet hair that spilled across his forehead. An emerald eye glistened with intelligence at her; the other was covered with a black eye patch. He wore a smart suit, the old fashioned kind. Sarah noticed a slip of paper tucked into the sash tied around the base of the hat which read "10/6".

"Did the King send you?" Sarah asked evenly.

The man laughed, throwing his head back. "No, no," he wiped his eye, giggling still, "I am no servant of the King. You are not in his realm. This is the kingdom of the Red Queen."

Sarah stood. The floor was cold against her bare feet. She wondered briefly where her shoes were before spotting them beside the bed. "The Red Queen?"

The man nodded. "Why don't we move to the kitchen? We can talk there, perhaps have some tea." He motioned towards the door. Sarah moved hesitantly after him. In the Goblin realm she would have moved about confidently, knowing the King would allow no real harm to come to her. But in a different realm, who knew? 'Honestly,' Sarah thought to herself, 'I hadn't even thought of different kingdoms or anything before. I wonder how many there are?"

"You fell quite a ways," the man remarked. "You must be disoriented."

"The Goblin King dragged me here is more like," Sarah snorted. "But yeah, I am sort of confused."

The man stopped walking. He looked at Sarah, frowning. "Dragged you here? No, he didn't take you here. I saw. You let go."

The man caught her hand and dragged her forward. The kitchen was filled with the strange purple glow from the moon. They sat at a long kitchen table, opposite from each other. Sarah played with her long hair uncomfortably. Propping his chin up on his hand, the man pursed his lips. "So," he murmured quietly, "You are the latest commotion between the King and Queen."

"Latest commotion?"

The man shrugged. He twirled his hair, imitating Sarah's nervous tic. "They seem to fight constantly, over land, over laws et cetera. Jareth lost you in the Queen's territory. They'll start fighting about it somehow."

"Jareth?" Sarah half closed her eyes. "So that's his name."

"I thought you knew. You came to Underground once?"

Sarah shrugged. "I guess I forgot his name. Wait, how do you know I was in the Goblin Kingdonm?"

The man tapped his fingers along his bottom lip. He shrugged, eyeing Sarah. "I'm good friends with Jareth. Did he ever tell you?"

Sarah shoved back from the table. The chair fell over, clattering against the floor. Her hands were shaking. "You! You're friends with him?" Sarah yelled. The man jumped at her outburst. He cringed and whimpered quietly through his fingers, which were clapped across his mouth. Sarah flushed red with shame. He was looking at her reproachfully, like she had just kicked him. It was like she had beat on a little kid.

"Hey," Sarah righted the chair and sat down again. "Hey, I'm sorry... What's your name?"

"I-I'm the Hatter," the man stuttered.

"Hatter," Sarah reached her hand out across the table, palm up. "I'm sorry, ok?" The Hatter touched her open palm. He nodded, making a hushed noise in the back of his throat. Sarah spotted a tea pot sitting on an oven burner. "Let's make some tea, ok? Calm down a bit."

The Hatter watched her fill the tea pot with water and set it down to boil. Sarah was aware of his powerful gaze. It was like he could read her mind. She shook her head. _'Stop it,'_ she scolded, _'That's so clichéd.' _

Cocking his head to the side, the Hatter asked, "Is that the same voice you use with Toby?"

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked, anxious not to raise her voice in case she scared him again.

""_Let's make some tea, ok? Calm down a bit."" _He imitated her almost exactly. "Is that how you talk with Toby when he's upset?"

Sarah tucked her hair behind her ear. "I guess so." Sitting down again, they watched each other awkwardly. Sarah noticed how he mimicked her actions, from how she leaned on her arm to how she played with her hands. The Hatter didn't seem to realize he was doing it.

"So, you're friends with Jareth?" Sarah ventured. "Why did he drag me here again?"

"Well," the Hatter started, a tinge of Sarah's voice on his, "It wasn't quite dragging you here, and honestly, I couldn't tell you why he went back for you. Maybe his affections for you?"

"Affections for me?"

"He loves you, as far as I can tell."

Sarah sputtered. "What? No."

"It's true. His letters were always full of adoration."

"Hatter," Sarah said with sincere kindness, "can I see one of the letters?"

He stood, nodding his head furiously. "Of course, of course, of course." He disappeared into a room that was connected by an open doorway situated off to the left side. He returned a few minutes later, clutching a piece of pristinely folded paper in his hand. He handed it to Sarah gingerly. She thanked him and unfolded it.

_ My dear friend,_

_ I am so glad that I can write to you. There is so much on my mind lately. The Red Queen has declared that goblin-kind can no longer cross the borders between my land and yours. Why does she plague me with her pettiness?_

_ But! Oh, my friend, there is a new light in my life. She is beautiful, and radiant. She is intelligent and imaginative. She has a most delightful sense of humour, and her smile brightens any room. She is still young and quite naive, but I know she will mature into a wonderful woman. Right now I can see she is unhappy, and I must approach her soon, before she grows up too much and is unattainable._

_ What about you? I have heard of a girl who wandered into Wonderland. I hear she is delightful and beautiful despite her youth. Has the March Hare's fleas cleared up, by the way?_

_ Well, I must go. Some stupid goblin is pestering me for attention. I suspect something important has happened. Or at least something that's too complicated for goblin heads. Sigh._

_ All my best wishes, my dear._

_ -Jareth_

Sarah smoothed the letter out against the table top. The writing flowed elegantly, it showed the King's education. It wasn't written in an extremely formal style, which did prove that the Hatter and Jareth where friends.

"Hatter," she asked, "Who was the girl who came to Wonderland?"


	4. Revelation

"Hatter," Sarah said roughly, "someone besides me has traveled between worlds?"

"Lots of people do," Hatter replied stoutly, "you aren't the only one."

"Including _your_ mystery girl, right?"

"Yes."

Sarah tossed the letter onto the table. The Hatter snatched it up, stowing it away in his jacket. Her head sank into her hands, fingers working down to the roots of her hair. "How can I get home?"

The Hatter shrugged. He seemed to have gained a measure of confidence after cowering before her. Sarah pushed back from the table. "We're going to see Jareth."

"We-! We can't!" exclaimed the Hatter, "It is forbidden to pass over the borders between Wonderland and Underground. It has been so for years."

Sarah slowly sat again. "Why?"

The Hatter reached into his jacket and pulled out a letter. For a moment Sarah thought it was the same letter she had just read. At second glance she realized it wasn't. It was longer and written in a different coloured ink. He handed it to her wordlessly.

_Hello again,_

_Thank you for the swift reply. I do wish we could see each other soon, but with negotiations going the way they are, I doubt we'll have the pleasure of a meeting for a long time. The Red Queen is set on punishing me for my rejection of her marriage proposal. I have no wish to join our two kingdoms. Yes, on paper it looks marvellous; the joining of the two most prosperous countries in Alternia._

_Does she know what goblin magic does to Wondermagik when they are combined? Goblin magic eats it up like a cancer. Remember how sick you got visiting the Goblin City, my dear? When you started vomiting blood I was sure you would die. At least we got you back home in time._

_Anyway, our marriage would not only be the binding of two people and kingdoms, it would also be the binding of two separate magics, ones that cannot be mixed. How is she not aware of this? We have always held our meetings in separate realms, in the _In-Between _because we cannot enter each other's realms for long. Hatter, dear, please, can you convince her? I know that she had sought your advice once before. Can you advise her on this?_

_And please do not tell her about Sarah. As soon as the Queen finds out about her, she will try to stop my contact with her. I'm not sure how I know this, but I feel it in my heart. Her mind is set to punish me, as I have said before._

_I must go now for another negotiation meeting in the _In-Between_. Maybe you'll come to the next one? I would love to speak with you face to face._

_My best regards,_

_Jareth_

"The _In-Between_?" Sarah asked.

"The _In-Between_ is a place of no magic," The Hatter explained in hushed tones, "The Doldrums that were. No one calls them that anymore, though."

Sarah gave the letter back to the Hatter. He gazed at it fondly for a moment before tucking it away. They sat in silence for a few moments as Sarah mulled things over. A place of no magic. That was interesting, but irrelevant. Goblin magic versus Wondermagik however was another thing completely.

"So you can't help me?" Sarah asked, "Because goblin magic makes you sick?"

The Hatter shook his head. "No, I can still help, but I can't cross borders. Once you're in Underground, you're on your own."

"I can handle myself in Underground," Sarah muttered, "It's this place I don't know. Hatter, is it true you got sick in the Goblin City?"

He nodded. "It was only after a few weeks there that I became sick. It takes time for the mixing of magic to take effect. That's why it was never forbidden for citizens of both countries to have contact."

"But a marriage would mix the magic right away?"

"Yes. Once married, they would both have equal power over both kingdoms. To have power over a kingdom means you need to possess the essence of that kingdom's magic. That is one reason Jareth refuses marriage- out of fear for his kingdom."

Sarah tilted her head, letting her long hair spill over one shoulder. The Hatter mirrored her action. "One reason?" She asked.

The Hatter laughed freely. "The other is he doesn't like the Queen all too much. Finds her childish and boring."

Sarah stood, stretching her arms. Her back cracked with an audible _pop_! The Hatter eyed her curiously, all fear and spinelessness gone from his mannerisms. _'Maybe he has some type of bipolar disorder,' _Sarah thought to herself. _'No matter. I think he means to help me.'_

The Hatter motioned for her to follow. They left the kitchen and entered a large room which looked like a cross between a living room and a study. There was a nice fireplace in the far left wall; bookshelves lined the walls adjacent to the fire place. Long, comfortable looking couches were placed in a semi circle around a brilliantly carved coffee table. "Jareth hand carved that for me," the Hatter commented absently. Sarah raised her eyebrows in surprise, but took a moment to study it.

It was a dark mahogany type wood, heavy and solid. The legs had been carved with flowing vines and flowers which were so delicate that Sarah could hardly believe it was hand carved, much less by Jareth. The table top was highly polished and gleamed like marble. "He has hidden talents," Sarah admitted grudgingly.

"He is quite an interesting man," the Hatter agreed, "Did you know he has a wonderful singing voice? Or that he writes the most beautiful poetry? He is an expert horseman and can shoot a bow with stunning accuracy."

"Why not just use magic for those sorts of things?" Sarah asked. "He could control a horse well enough, and shoot anything with magic. Why bother learning to do it the hard way?"

A deep frown passed over the Hatter's face, emotion filling his uncovered eye. "What's the point of living then? If everything is given to you and there is no challenge in life, why bother existing?"

Sarah lapsed into stillness. After a moment: "Why show me this?"

A wry smile replaced the Hatter's saddened look. "Jareth is not the monster you make him out to be. Yes, he can be a brat and dangerous and unpredictable, but he is kind and a good friend."


	5. Determination

Goblins never stopped nattering. Jareth had decided this was a rule, like the laws of magic and logic. They were incessant, constantly pestering him with their trivial problems. Every few minutes or so a goblin would approach his throne. It would practically fall over itself and yammer compliments and asking for guidance on some inconsequential matter.

Jareth paid them little heed. He was more concentrated on a pocket watch with thirteen hours that he held in his hand. Sometimes its face would shimmer and his heart would speed up with anticipation, thinking someone was beginning to contact him. The watch functioned as a communication device between the rulers of each nation in Alternia. Every leader had a personal device. Jareth's was the watch. The Red Queen had a hand mirror. The Faerie Thane (no one was sure the Thane had a gender), had a pearl. There were more, for there were many more kingdoms, but Jareth couldn't be bothered to remember them all.

The watch's face flared. Jareth sat up, clutching it in his hands. The Red Queen's face appeared, beautiful and furious at the same time. Her hair was piled up in a complicated arrangement with auburn curls bouncing against her cheeks. One delicate eyebrow was arched.

"Jareth," she said through a diplomatic smile. "I just received your envoy. Sarah is lost in Wonderland you say? How did that happen?"

The Goblin King's lip twitched in a barely civil expression. "She fell into the portal and let go when I told her to hold on."

"Oh, my dear," The Queen simpered, "this is why chasing humans never works out. Remember what I told you? They always run away after. They don't seem to like us that much."

Jareth barked a harsh laugh. "They don't like you, my dear, because you threaten to behead them."

The Queen's smile turned sour. "Well, Jareth, since she is touched by your magic, I can do nothing to help you. You had better hope that she finds her way back. I cannot promise that she will come to no harm in my kingdom." Her face faded away and the thirteen hours on the pocket watch came back into focus.

Jareth resisted the urge to throw the watch. Gritting his teeth he stowed it in his vest. He stood suddenly, his boot heels clacking loudly on the floor. Goblins flitted about his feet as he strode down a hallway which led to the stables outdoors. He could control the Labyrinth to appear in any place he wished, but to travel quickly in other environments required a mode of transportation.

In the stables Jareth selected a Prong, a slender white horse with ram-like horns curled around its ears, to be his steed. Prongs were cousins to unicorns. They were not as quick as unicorns, but they were much more willing to be trained and sturdier. Only the Faerie Thane had been able to tame a unicorn enough to ride.

The Prong had been a gift to Jareth from the Thane. Despite being more common than unicorns, Prongs were extremely difficult to catch. This particular Prong was named Rojaith, which meant 'handsome' in some dead language, but the Goblin King affectionately called him Ro. Jareth had received Ro as a thank-you from the Faerie kingdom after forming an allegiance with them to dispel conflict with the Sprite nation.

Patting Ro's neck kindly, Jareth pulled himself up into the saddle. Ro was the fastest way to travel through Wonderland, or any other territory he might have to cross. He raised one hand and snapped his fingers.

Ro didn't even twitch his ears during the teleportation. They were standing at the border of Wonderland. Jareth took a deep breath. To prolong his stay in Wonderland without his magic and the Wondermagik making him ill, he would have to suppress his powers for the time being.

The Goblin King closed his eyes. He envisioned all the magic and power in his body swirling together tighter and tighter, becoming a small packet. He envisioned the packet nestling into his heart, safe and quiet. Success.

"Excuse me, sir?"

Jareth's eyes flew open. He whirled Ro around, who whinnied in annoyance. A girl in a floor length grey dress stood before him, hands clasped demurely. She had blond hair and light blue eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," she said with an odd accent.

The King gigged his Prong, approaching the girl. "It's alright," he said mildly. "But who are you? How did you get into my Labyrinth?"

The girl's face crumpled. "My name's Alice and I'm not sure how I got here. I must have fallen through a dream or something."

"Alice?" Jareth cried, "As in, Hatter's Alice? You were in Wonderland once, am I right?"

"Why, yes," she said in surprise, "about a year ago. I fell into Wonderland through a rabbit hole and then once I got there through a looking glass."

Jareth jumped down from Ro's saddle. "My god!" he exclaimed.

Alice's brow knit into a frown. "Sir, could you please help me find Hatter? I do want to see him before I go home again. You seem to know him, and I do not know where I am. Is this Wonderland? I don't recognize it."

"This isn't Wonderland," Jareth told her, "this is the Underground. The Goblin Kingdom. And of course, I will help you find Hatter. I was going to find him myself. I need his help finding someone who is lost in Wonderland. You may accompany me."


	6. Starting

Sarah had to appreciate the beauty of Wonderland. Everything looked lush and dreamy, far different from the Underground. Where the Underground had been equally fantastic as Wonderland, it had a more masculine feel. Things were harsher there, rough like the stone the Labyrinth's walls were made from. Even the inhabitants were knobbly and tough. In Wonderland everything seemed softer. Even the Hatter had a very different aura than the Goblin King had. They were similar in many ways, by height, sharp features and build, but where Jareth exuded power and confidence the Hatter was shy and reserved.

"You said a Queen rules Wonderland?" Sarah asked distractedly. They were walking along a small, orange coloured footpath and little creatures scurried along beside them in the grass. She kept trying to catch a glimpse of them but couldn't seem to.

"Yes, the Red Queen," the Hatter replied. He touched his eye patch tenderly. "She is cruel sometimes, but ultimately she's done good for us."

"Did she do that to you?" Sarah pointed with her chin at the eye patch.

The Hatter shrugged. "Yes, but I had broken the law." He left it as that and refused to discuss it further.

They continued to walk. Uncomfortable with the silence, Sarah asked the Hatter to tell her more about Jareth. He lit up whenever he talked about the King and Sarah was perversely interested in learning more about the Goblin King. She had demonized him in her mind. Suddenly a memory came back to her:

"_Generous?" She demanded, "What have you done that's generous?"_

"_Everything!" Jareth had snapped, "Everything that you wanted I have done. You asked that the child be taken. I took him. You cowered before me, I was frightening. I have reordered time. I have turned the world upside down, and I have done it all for _**you**_!" He paused for a beat, regaining composure, "I am exhausted from living up to your expectations of me. Isn't that generous?"_

Sarah shook her head to clear the memory. Back then she had been angry at him. In her opinion he was a villain, stealing her brother and forcing an arduous quest on her. Now, a year later and thinking about it in depth for the first time, she saw that he had been trying to please her. She had wanted an adventure, something to break up the monotony of her life. She had also wanted someone to pay her more attention than they paid Toby.

Jareth had given her that. He had taken away Toby, the source of her juvenile vexation, and gave her difficult choices to make. He had given her a fantastic adventure with a puzzle to complete. He had forced her to mature and make self-realizations. She had grown during her short thirteen hours in the labyrinth and it had bettered her.

He had terrified her. Jareth was good at that. He wielded his power with absolute authority; it was obvious by how the labyrinth bent to his will. In the end, the Goblin King had shown her his only weakness, his love.

These revelations made Sarah's stomach tighten. She wished that she hadn't thought about it. It was making the situation difficult. It was very easy to simply paint Jareth as a bad guy and find a way to defeat him. Why couldn't her adventure be straight forward, like in the books she read? It was always simple, kill the villain and right the wrongs. Human emotions were making things mixed up.

Had Jareth been wrong to steal Toby? It was ultimately for her benefit, but one can't just go around kidnapping babies! Then Sarah considered that they both came from different frames of reference. She had grown up as an ordinary citizen in an ordinary place. Jareth was the king of an ever changing labyrinth inhabited by the strangest creatures. Perhaps it was common place for babies to be kidnapped in the labyrinth. She really didn't know. She had never thought to find out about the history or culture.

"What do you want to know about Jareth?" The Hatter asked.

"Well," Sarah mumbled, "Is it normal for him to kidnap babies and things?"

The Hatter laughed. "He does have an unusual way of doing things. But there are certain rules that come with different types of magic. He cannot let someone enter the labyrinth without a wish, and he cannot leave it without having a wish to act upon."

"But I didn't wish out loud for him to get me. How did he get into my house?"

The Hatter turned his one eye on her. He raised the opposite eyebrow. "It doesn't have to be an out loud wish. If he sensed it in your heart, he could come."

Sarah started to protest, and then stopped. She had wished to go back to the Underground. She had been daydreaming about it constantly. Jareth heard her heart's call and answered it, possibly dropping everything he had been doing to please her.

"Does that clear a few things up?" The Hatter asked kindly.

"Sort of," Sarah admitted.

/

Alice felt quite peculiar. She was sitting up behind a strange man on what seemed to be a horse with ram's horns. They were galloping over a strange terrain, a mix of broken down stone walls and purple undergrowth. Her arms were wrapped tightly around his middle and her face buried into his back. She was terrified of falling off. The horse-thing was moving far faster than she had anticipated and her stomach was quite upset.

Eventually the horse-thing slowed to a stop when Jareth patted its neck with a gloved hand and said, "Easy, Ro."

The crumbling stone walls had completely disappeared now. They were faced with a dense, pastel coloured forest. Jareth tapped Alice's hands and she slowly released him from her grip. He dismounted easily and then held up a hand to assist her. With both of them steady on their feet, Jareth walked in front of his steed and put his hands on his hips, surveying the forest.

"I recognize this," Alice said. "I've been here before, I think."

Jareth smiled slightly. "Well, that's delightful. Do you know how to get to Hatter's from here?"

Confusion crossed Alice's face. "No," she said mournfully, "I was very lost last time I came. I wandered around a lot."

Jareth's smile dropped. "Ah." He took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. "This will be an interesting journey then. I've never been here without magic to guide me."

Alice shuffled her feet under her ridiculously long dress. She felt extremely unprepared for this journey. Here she was in her school dress and good shoes and this man, the King of some land, was completely ready for whatever adventure he had planned to go on. He was wearing leather riding boots with thick soles and a travelling cloak that looked insanely comfortable. His black shirt was open at the neck in a deep 'V' but a scarf sat around his shoulders in case of cold weather.

"I guess the only thing we can do is try," Alice offered meekly. "I do not think I'll be much help, however."

Jareth cast a glance at her. Alice blushed slightly. He had looked so dismissive and haughty that she felt guilty for even speaking up. Then his eyes softened. "Do not worry about that," he assured her, "I cannot do much here either."

/

_Author's note: baaaw Jareth's being nice to his friend's girl! Anyway, thank you to my readers for being SO DAMN PATIENT! I'm trying, I swear!_


	7. Questions

Arianna had been queen of Wonderland for almost five years. She had inherited the throne from her mother. The women of the royal family had always ruled. It was never a king who had authority. Arianna had used her power to shape her kingdom to her every whim.

She had seen the way Jareth controlled the Underground and envied it. He could shape entire cities, control the never-ending walls that formed the sprawling labyrinth. The Underground seemed to grow and thrive like a living organism and Arianna wanted that for Wonderland.

Often Arianna would look at the other countries and kingdoms that were in Alternia and saw that the most successful ones were often run by men. Jareth's Underground, Halloween Town which was virtually run by Jack Skellington, even Mr. Roarke's little island, which was situated in the one place were the magic fabric separating Alternia from Earth frayed and split, did quite well. Arianna prided herself in knowing that Wonderland could be counted among them as one of the most successful countries.

Her real ambition was to surpass them all. She wanted, when people mentioned Wonderland, for them to talk about how wealthy the country was, and how their growth was booming and such. This had proven to be a challenge, considering only about a third of Wonderland's inhabitants used any form of currency. She had tried to implement the usage of money, but coins proved difficult for many to carry, for example, Mr. Darren, the poet she was currently the patron for, was a snake and had no means of pocketing money or keeping it on his person. It was simply too difficult.

Arianna therefore wanted to join her kingdom with Jareth's. It was not that she wanted to leech off of his success. She was not an air-headed, simpering woman who needed a man to provide for her. She merely thought of him as a way to get ahead. Of course, it helped that she found him attractive.

Unfortunately, Jareth was constantly turning her down. He would not even grant audience with her anymore. The most communication they had had in the past few months had been about Sarah being lost in Wonderland. He claimed that he did not want to join their two kingdoms in marriage due to conflicting magic.

Arianna knew it was for different reasons. Jareth was in love with a human girl and could not bear to put any chance he had with her in jeopardy, despite having been turned down quite adamantly before. Yes, she had heard about Jareth's heartbreak. She had coerced the Hatter into telling her. The Goblin King seemed to share all of his secrets with the Hatter, and all it took was the slow removal of one of his eyes to reveal a cache of interesting things no one knew about Jareth.

If she could find Sarah first, then she would have Jareth under her control. With Wonderland and the Underground combined, they would be the most powerful nation in Alternia. A small chill ran up Arianna's spine. It was thrilling to think that her goals were so close. Yes. She would find Sarah.

Of course Jareth would try to locate her himself. One cannot trust goblins to do extensive work in Wonderland; they would soon sicken and die. But Jareth, on the other hand, was sly. He would find a way. Arianna guessed that he would suppress his magic so that he wouldn't contract the wasting sickness that mixing their magic created. Therefore he would be without guidance. He would become easily lost within Wonderland's dense forests, nonsensical towns and portals.

Although Jareth kept many, it was no secret that he held Wonderland in some contempt. Arianna did not understand where this emotion stemmed from, but she thought it was some species of frustration. He was accustomed to being able to move around the Underground freely and quickly. He could appear anywhere at any moment. In Wonderland, he was practically useless.

Arianna summoned one of her pages. A frog in a waistcoat bearing the royal seal answered her call. "Yes, my Queen?"

"I have a task for you to arrange."

/

It was cold in Wonderland at night, near freezing temperatures. No one had told Jareth that, and he never had the occasion to spend the night before. And Alice, the girl, was completely unprepared for this journey. And so, there they sat in front of a fire, Jareth wrapped in his cloak and Alice wrapped in his arms.

She was, in his opinion, quite lucky that the Hatter had taken such a liking to her. There was no one he could think of, except Sarah, who he would have allowed in such close vicinity to his own person. If it wasn't a matter of them becoming ill because of the cold, he wouldn't have allowed it. He would have given up his cloak and gone cold instead. He disliked others touching him.

That was another to add to the list of things he disliked about the Red Queen, Arianna. She had a habit of touching him whenever she could. During conferences between all the leaders, she would hang off his arm, or put a hand on his shoulder, as if staking a claim on him.

He thought back to one meeting that had been held between the leaders of each nation six months ago.

_Everyone had been gathered in the Doldrums, or the In-Between. A decision on whether or not to build a magical gateway between Alteria and Narnia was being debated. A break was being taken and Jareth was talking amiably with Mr. Roarke, the proprietor of Fantasy Island and with the Faerie Thane, who had always liked Mr. Roarke and was currently perched on the shoulder of his immaculate white suit. During their conversation, Arianna came to stand beside Jareth and looped one of her arms through his. "Jareth," she had purred in his ear and leaning on him, "there is something I'd like to discuss with you. Could I please have a moment?"_

_Jareth's immediate reaction was to shrug her off and step away, but he resisted the urge and said, "My Queen, I must apologize, but I am in conversation with these fine people and I would ask you to release my arm." He injected a tone of steely anger into his voice which made her drop his arm._

_Arianna pulled away from him and smiled falsely. "It is in your interest to hear what I have to say."_

"_Another time, Arianna," Jareth hissed. She flinched at the dragged out way he pronounced her name. It was mocking. She inclined her head and left quickly._

_Mr. Roarke gave a half-smile. "You are cruel to Arianna, Jareth. Why are you so?"_

"_She is childish and bothersome," Jareth huffed, "and she continues to _touch me._ I can't stand it."_

'And_,' he thought to himself, taking a sip from the goblet he held in one hand, '_She is the opposite from _Sarah.'_

_Mr. Roarke winked subtly and for a moment Jareth thought that the man had read his mind._

In the protective grip of Jareth, Alice shifted slightly. Brought out of his memories, the Goblin King stiffened as the top of her head brushed beneath his chin. It was ticklish and unpleasant. The only good thing about the situation was the warmth she was providing. His whole body was warm save for the tip of his nose, although there was not much he could do to fix that.

Jareth rolled his shoulders once to loosen up the stiffness that was starting to settle. Alice stirred again and murmured something. The King began to ask her to repeat herself when he realized that she had fallen asleep.

/

The Hatter and Sarah were camped out as well. Being native to Wonderland, the Hatter knew how cold it got and had packed accordingly. All he had to do was reach into his tall, sleek hat and pull out various items. Soon they had a tent and a fire set up. Inside the tent there were two squishy looking sleeping bags which in Sarah's experience were always the warmest.

"How many other kingdoms are there in this place?" Sarah asked, poking a stick into the fire.

"Oh," The Hatter faltered. He thought briefly. "There are lots of places. There's the Faerie Realm, Fantasy Island, the Sea of Mermaids, Dragon Country and Halloween Town, but that branches off into a lot of different places, all of them connected to your Earth holidays. Never Never Land is off the Coast of Fantasy Island and almost touching one part of the Sea of Mermaids."

"Wow. I didn't think there was that much," Sarah said.

"There's Pixie Realm too," The Hatter was ticking off names on his fingers, "which is a separation from the Faerie Realm. They won their independence ten years ago. There's also the Cloud Kingdom, which is in the sky. I think you humans based your legends of angels off the people there. They have wings and all seem to be blonde. There's also the Sub-Beneath which is right under Never Never Land but I think they're all worm people and don't care much about us."

"What are the Doldrums?" Sarah interrupted.

The Hatter rubbed a hand through his red hair. His top hat was balanced on his knee. "A place of no magic. Only one person lives there, the Ever Master. He has more power than everyone in Alternia combined. Even Mr. Roarke is afraid of him."

"Who's Mr. Roarke?" Sarah asked, frowning.

The Hatter tucked his hair back and cocked his head to the side. He assumed a suave sort of energy and rolled his words in an exotic accent when he talked. "Mr. Roarke owns Fantasy Island, the only place in Alternia that touches Earth. It is accessible by airplane through the Bermuda Triangle. He is exceedingly powerful and wealthy."

Something in the Hatter's face changed as he did his small performance. Sarah got the weirdest feeling that she was seeing not just the Hatter, but another face in her mind's eye as well. The man she was picturing had salt and pepper hair, with white around the temples. His face was handsome in an aristocratic way and he had dark eyes. She shook her head and the effect was gone.

The Hatter replaced his top hat. His long hair fell back into place.

"So, uh," Sarah stuttered, feeling a bit of vertigo, "who is the Ever Master?" She held up a hand, "Please don't do that imitation thing again. I feel dizzy from it."

"Very well," the Hatter promised, "the Ever Master seems to be able to control everything. Time, physics, even the laws of magic. The most widely accepted theory is that he created the Doldrums because he foresaw that in our magical world, there needed to be a place where everyone was equal and devoid of their powers. The leaders from each nation meet there regularly whenever there is an international problem to discuss. In the Doldrums, no one can use magic, and no one can use violence."

"How interesting," Sarah mused, "he's like the Dungeon Master in 'Dungeons N' Dragons'. He decides how things go."

The Hatter nodded although Sarah suspected he hadn't understood the reference.


	8. Chapter 8

Jareth's head snapped up. Dawn had come, washing the air with a dusky purple. He looked down at Alice, who was curled against his chest, her eyes still closed. Jareth untangled himself from her and carefully laid her down, still wrapped up in his cloak.

The fire had burned down to cinders and he busied himself with lighting it again. They would need breakfast before continuing. He had packed Ro's saddlebags with provisions but he wondered if they would be enough to sustain him and the girl. He didn't know how long they would be in Wonderland and he wasn't sure what they would find themselves would be edible. Besides being simply edible, he didn't want to go through any unforeseen transformations.

As he sat toasting some meat over the fire, Jareth found he was relaxing. The night has been cold but the morning air was pleasant. There were some strange sounding birds singing, although for all he knew they could have been normal birds. The most singing he heard was done by goblins, himself or the Fireys in the forest. There weren't many birds in the Underground. After awhile he began to pick out words in the birdsong. His ears pricked up and he glanced around. Was it really birds that were singing? He wasn't sure.

"_... And the slivey toooves did gyre and giiimble in the waaaaabe..."_

Jareth sat up straighter, craning his head to follow the voice.

"_All mimsy were the borogroooves and the mome raths outgraaaabe..."_

Jareth stood up. He could see grass flattened by foot prints. Occasionally the foot prints would part around objects like rocks and meet up again, as if the walker had split in two to accommodate whatever was in their path.

The singing had trailed off and Jareth was wracking his brain, trying to place the voice. He recognized it a little but not much. Behind him, Alice stirred and yawned. "Is that the Cheshire Cat?" she asked sleepily.

"Indeed it is," the disembodied voice replied. Slowly, a cat faded into view and stripes began coiling up its' sides. "Sharp memory little Alice has," it giggled. "What now, has it been a year? Alice mustn't be too little anymore."

"I've grown some," she replied, rubbing her eyes.

Jareth looked at the cat. It looked back at him with a very human expression of amusement. Its dilated eyes seemed too large for its head and its grin was especially wide. "Hullo, your Majesty," it chortled, bowing.

The Goblin King nodded. "Chester Cat," he said stiffly.

"It's Cheshire," Alice corrected absentmindedly.

The cat's head rolled upside down as it regarded Jareth with its large eyes. "You're very far from your kingdom, Majesty."

"I suppose," Jareth said suspiciously. He had a vague recollection of the Cheshire Cat but for the life of him he couldn't remember where its loyalties lie. Was it with the Queen or no one at all?

"I'm friends with the Hatter if that at all helps," it rolled its head back to the right-way-up position.

Jareth let the suspicion drop from his expression but not from his thoughts. "You know the Hatter?"

"Yeees," The cat's tongue lolled out of its mouth, "And you're the Goblin King, the Hatter's dear." The cat suddenly started to laugh, "And you have Alice and the Hatter has Sarah. Oh goodness, what a mess."

"You've seen Sarah?" Jareth cried, kneeling before the cat. Their eyes met: Jareth's blazing mismatched ones and the cat's unsettlingly large ones. The King saw no sanity in those eyes but did see a terrifying spark of intelligence.

"Seen her? Noooo..." the cat sucked his tongue back in with a startling slurp. "But I know she's around. She reeks of your magick."

It took all of Jareth's will not to lunge forward and shake the silly animal. He clenched his fists and glared as the cat slunk into Alice's lap and curled up there. In his opinion, Chesire Cats were sillier and stupider than goblins.

"Chesh," Alice said kindly, scratching behind his ears, "would you please give us a hint as to where they might be? Even if you don't tell us outright, it will be ever so helpful."

"Well..." the Cheshire Cat intoned dully, "they might be in the Tulgey Wood."

Jareth rubbed his face with frustration. The Tulgey Wood. He had no idea where that was. Practically all of Wonderland was forest with pockets of civilisation in between. The Tulgey Wood could be all over Wonderland or could be a patch of four trees.

Alice turned the cat over onto its back gently and rubbed its belly. "Where in the Tulgey Wood, Chesh? Is it by the small waterfall?"

"Look for fiddleheads," the cat purred, paws splayed in the air and tail twitching with pleasure. The grey stripes all along its body were even trembling with enjoyment.

"Thank you Chesh," Alice said and bent to kiss it on the nose. The Cheshire Cat grinned up at her and unraveled, purring all the time. A few minutes passed and Alice stood up, brushing her dress off.

"He's gone now," she said aloud.

"What are fiddleheads?" Jareth asked.

Alice tapped a finger on her small chin. "Well," she sighed, "I suppose 'fiddleheads' could be an insult. But I also read somewhere that they are a type of fern."

Jareth took the meat off the fire. It was starting to split and was ready to eat. "A type of fern," he said dryly. "So, we're looking for a wood that is either infested with musicians or plants."

"When you put it that way," Alice said sadly.

Jareth held out a medium sized piece of the meat, skewered on a stick. "It is inelegant but all I have to offer," he muttered.

Alice accepted it politely. She came to sit beside him with her legs tucked beneath her primly and the skirt of her dress around her lie a corona on a sun.

They ate in silence. Jareth mulled over the cat's directions. The Tulgey Wood and fiddleheads. What did that mean?


End file.
